I turned 30! Meet the amazing partners who made my 30th birthday party come to life

Well, it happened - I turned 30! And I can honestly say that I could not be more excited for this next chapter of life. From falling in love to heartbreaks, to successes + setbacks, triumphs, challenges, the list goes on, my 20’s were amazing + crazy + memorable all at the same time.

SOME STANDOUT THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN MY 20’S:

Age 20: I got my first car. That’s right, guys. Pretty much all of my life, I took the city bus to + from wherever I needed to go - this included taking a two-hour bus ride from Fullerton to Costa Mesa (only about 20 minutes on the freeway but city buses only take streets) to work my retail job that paid me minimum wage. I started from the bottom, y’all, I really did.

Age 23: I discovered the wedding industry, and decided that I wanted to become a wedding planner!

Age 24: Family losses. Not only did my aunt + stepdad pass away both in the same year, but my mom left us shortly after. This was obviously very, very hard, and truthfully, it almost feels surreal to type. But the truth is, these wonderful souls all struggled so much - both physically + mentally, and were suffering every day they lived on this earth. I don’t subscribe to any religion in particular, but I do honestly feel that they are all angels now that look down upon me each + every day, and are with me through every single ebb + flow of life, watching out for me, and keeping me safe.

Age 26: I started two companies: Leilani Weddings + The Bachbox.

Age 29: I met the looooove of my life!

To celebrate the end of an era + the start of a new one, I threw myself a 30th birthday party at the Eureka Building, and danced the night away with 40 of my closest friends + family.

The theme: Magic Dust Disco Party, which pretty much encapsulated everything I had been feeling leading up to this day. I wanted to dance the night away with friends, and celebrate the magic that is life, without a care in the world, to-do list + responsibilities aside for the night - and that is exactly what I did.

Speaking of dancing the night away, as soon as I started planning, I knew I had to have Vinh, AKA “DJ Livinh”, DJ the party. As expected, he brought some seriously vibe-y tunes to the party that kept my friends + I dancing ‘til after midnight.

SCROLL DOWN FOR A SNIPPET OF MY BIRTHDAY PLAYLIST!

Thanks to some amazingly talented + generous friendors, the party was stunning, complete with florals by my friends at Los Angeles Floral Couture, pink uplighting that created some really fun ambiance by Waveform Events, and decor by the fabulous Susanne + her team over at Above The Top Rentals.

I ventured to Downtown LA with Esmeralda with Linens by Celina a couple of weeks before the party, to actually choose fabrics for our ABC-OC Trendsetters Gala that was just two days before my birthday party, and ended up finding fabrics that were too perfect not to pass up - it was literally like the fabrics were made for this event! She was able to custom-make linens for me in about a week - this company is seriously such a magic-maker!

In my opinion, no party is complete without fun decor + tchotchkes, and two of my favorite party decor companies, Balloon + Paper and Party Flavrs, did “the most” with their cute balloon decor, party hats + cups. Big thanks to Party Flavrs, who I found while browsing on Instagram, for gifting me all of these fun party hats + cups. They were such a cute detail that added so much to the party’s aesthetic.

Lucia with Float Service Co. (she also owns Churro Service!) is always a gem + creates some seriously cute + creative boozy floats + cotton candy cocktails, which are such fun additions to any party or event.

Caliente Catering is one of our favorite affordable full-service catering companies here in SoCal, and they did not disappoint with their delicious taco bar + their cute all-male staff were more than helpful with setting up the bar + serving cocktails all night.

SCROLL DOWN FOR SIGNATURE COCKTAIL RECIPES FROM THE PARTY!

I also need to give a huge shoutout to The Bridal Press, who not only designed my invitation graphic, but all of my day-of event signage. I love that with very little direction, Lynn totally understood my vision + hit the nail on the head on the design.

More kudos are in order for Flawless Faces, who always doll me up, well, flawlessly, for all of my special occasions, and for Dear Darling Design Studio, who custom-illustrated this adorable denim jacket for me!

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: ARS POETICA

I came across Lisa Ann + Ars Poetica on Instagram a few months ago, and since I am always on the hunt for cool, creative, and out-of-the-box offerings for our couples, I immediately knew I wanted to add her company to our VIP list of vendors.

Ars Poetica is an experiential poetry agency, a one-of-kind activation that brings something unique + interactive to any wedding or event. They customize activations to suit each wedding, event, brand, and individual, and provide a truly thoughtful + memorable type of entertainment. They are known for custom haikus written on the spot on vintage typewriters, but they also offer workshops, stage performances, and more. Ars provided “Tarot Reading Poetry”, where a highly trained tarot reader read each of my guest’s cards, then typed up a special poem that encapsulated their reading.

I LOVE THIS EXCERPT FROM ARS’ WEBSITE ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS:

“Poets are highly attuned to the more nuanced forces of our systems, whether they be internal, societal, or more expansive. Sensitive and intuitive, some of our best poets are also highly trained astrologists and tarot readers.

Environmentalists at heart, in partnership with reforestation organization One Tree, for every poem Ars Poetica writes, they plant a tree. They utilize only eco-white + sustainable savoy cottonn paper from Paper Source for all of their poems, and purchase carbon offsets for all air travel. They have eliminated all single-use plastics from their operations + events.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ARS POETICA AT WWW.ARSPOETICA.US

The entire night (+ styled shoot beforehand!) was all beautifully photographed by the oh-so-talented Michelle with Michelle Flores Photography, and Kaiel with Cali Viewfinders created the perfect video that captured the essence of the night, how much love was felt + how much fun we all had.

WATCH THE VIDEO, BELOW!

AS PROMISED, HERE ARE THE SIGNATURE COCKTAILS FROM MY PARTY -

GIRL, YOU ARE MAGIC

Prosecco Gin Elderflower Liqueur Lemon

DISCO QUEEN

Tequila Grand Marnier Lime + Orange Juice Sparkling Water Jalapeno Lime garnish

ALONG WITH A SNIPPET OF THE PLAYLIST:

Also giving a big thank you to Scout + Molly’s Newport Beach, who donated the girls’ attire for the styled shoot, Blackmarket Bakery for the delicious cakes, to my friends + family for all of their love + support and for loving me for me, and finally to my love, Kyle, for truly always making me feel like the only girl in this whole damn world. <3 WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DETAIL FROM MY 30TH BIRTHDAY PARTY? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS, BELOW! XO, DL

DANIELLE LEILANIDECEMBER 23, 2019